According to the American Psychological Association, over 75% of student-athletes are overwhelmed by sports and school throughout the year. This is definitely prominent at Albuquerque Academy and many athletes at our school struggle with school and sports.
At Albuquerque Academy there are many student-athletes, and all of them have to balance the work of practices and school, while maintaining their social life. According to the National Institute of Health, stress has increased by a whole 19% from the 1990s to now. Some of this stress is credited to school and mainly to student-athletes.
Russel ‘28 is a golf fanatic, and he’s only a sophomore. He goes to Albuquerque Academy and is top 4 on the varsity golf team. He also made varsity when he was just 14. Like most student-athletes, he finds it hard at times to balance sports, school, and his sanity. “I only have one hour a day of free time during the golf season,” he said. For Russel, a normal day is school from 8:15 to 3:30, practice until 7, and then he finishes dinner and his homework at 9:30. Russel tries to get to bed at around 10:30, but is sometimes overwhelmed with homework so much so that he can’t even finish his homework until early the next morning.
Many student-athletes are crushed by all their responsibilities, combined with getting home late, procrastinating, or not using their free periods. Some student-athletes are depleted from their practices so much that they aren’t in the right mental space to complete their homework. It is a mental challenge for many. Some people even get behind work.
“I definitely felt overwhelmed by everything, but it’s on me,” said Russel.
He states that it is his responsibility and his fault when he gets behind due to procrastination, but he is still overwhelmed at times.
Sports are also hard on teachers. When asked about whether it was challenging for the teacher when kids miss school due to sports, Ms. Matton, an AP US History teacher, said, “Yes… last year there was a great push on me because we move so quickly.” Sports also put a burden on teachers. With kids missing classes, it’s hard for teachers to catch them up and grade their homework.
For both teachers and students, sports can be deemed difficult to manage. “At the end of the day, it is an extracurricular activity,” Ms. Matton said, emphasizing that school comes before sports and that sports are a luxury after school.
Some ways that people could manage their time better with school and sports are to not get distracted and not “engage in any bogusness or procrastination,” said Russel. Some other ways that he manages his time are taking two homework sessions at night and taking a break in between them instead of one big, boring study session. Russel also said you have to “lock in” for study sessions.
The balance between sports school and one’s free time takes responsibility, discipline, and accountability. For many, sports are a way to get a scholarship, have fun, or just take their mind off the stresses of the day. It is still very difficult to manage sports as well as school, but here at the Academy, the student-athletes think the stress is worth it.
